Hand plane ?

Well I guess I got it. THE HAND PLANE FEVER! What do you take for it? Two months ago I had one plane. Now I have 7. Not counting 2 junk ones. Any way I bought this one and wanted your thoughts about it. Should i restore it or just leave it as it is. I kind of like my tools to look good and don’t think the plane will ever be worth very much, so restoring really want hurt it. What’s your thoughts.Gerald

8 replies so far

They sure are addictive. I personally only restore the planes that desperately need it. Most just need a good cleaning and to be sharpened and fettled to be great users. I used to want them to look brand new, but learned to appreciate the nicks and dings as part of its long history.Don W has a thread on restoring hand planes. Check it out if you decide to restore this one. Careful, plane hoarding is a very real addiction. ☺

It’s your plane, do what you want. I’ve done a minimalist approach and gone full bore, better than new with restorations. As you mention, the plane isn’t a rare collectible, so you aren’t going to really affect value. If you prefer a totally cleaned up, shiny & polished look, go for it.

-- "Good judgement is the result of experience. A lot of experience is the result of poor judgement."

I agree with “its your plane, do what you like” My suggestion would be start with a good cleaning and oiling and waxing. Sometimes they come out so much better than you think. Then if you want a full restore, go for it. Once you do the restore, you can go back the other way.

I also agree with “do what YOU like.” I’ve been amazed by how addicting hand planes can be. All of mine are users, so I stayed away from the pricier vintage planes. I clean all the rust and dirt, and whatever japanning is left is what the plane lives with. I use alox as a rust preventive – it dries slick and doesn’t collect dust like oil. I make custom totes and knobs for all of them that fit my hands better, so I don’t worry about the condition of the one’s on the plane – I keep all of them if I decide to sell one. Whether you restore or not, it still needs to be tuned up be at its best performance. Every so often I decide to polish up the sides of one, but that’s about it. I did rattle can a #80 because it had almost zero japanning left.

There is restore, and then there is “make look better”. To me, restore is much more involved, getting the finish just right on the metal, the wood, preserving original tooling marks etc. Making it look better typically means painting with black engine enamel and polishing up all the surfaces, refinish the wood. It’s all about what the owner wants.